guns out of city parks — is now eligible to carry a gun. But she says she doesn't have any plans to.

Barry, the only candidate officially in the 2015 mayor's race at this point, confirmed last week that she recently took the eight hours of firearms safety training required to get a Tennessee gun carry permit.

It's a surprising — maybe startling would be a better word — development, given Barry's history on the left side of the political spectrum, especially her outspoken opinions against allowing guns in many public places.

Or maybe it's not so surprising for an ambitious politician who needs to draw support from many types of people. But Barry, who has been elected countywide twice, insisted she wasn't pandering to Music City's more conservative voters.

"I'm still against guns in parks and guns in restaurants and guns in bars," she said. "Getting the carry permit doesn't change my beliefs."

She said she took the firearms training to get a better handle on one of the country's most charged political issues, even if she's still firmly on one side of the divide.

"There's so much conversation about guns and gun safety in our society, I figured the best way to understand it more deeply was to actually experience it. It's a political conversation, and from my perspective, it's always better to be engaging in the conversation than to ignore it."

But Barry, who hasn't actually gotten the carry permit yet, said you won't see her looking through rifle scopes at a gun shop even after she turns in her paperwork and gets fingerprinted.

"I never intend to own a gun," she said. "I won't have a gun in my house."